The Apparition Phase

By: Will Maclean

Narrated by: Theo Solomon

Length: 13 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

Tim and Abi have always been different from their peers. Precociously bright, they spend their evenings in their parents' attic discussing the macabre and unexplained, zealously re-reading books on folklore, hauntings and the supernatural. In particular, they are obsessed with photographs of ghostly apparitions and the mix of terror and delight they provoke in their otherwise boring and safe childhoods.

But when Tim and Abi decide to fake a photo of a ghost to frighten an unpopular school friend, they set in motion a deadly and terrifying chain of events that neither of them could have predicted and they are forced to confront the possibility that what began as a callous prank might well have taken on a malevolent life of its own.

An unsettling literary ghost story set between a claustrophobic British suburban town and a menacing Suffolk manor, The Apparition Phase is an unnerving novel, which, like all the best ghost stories, pushes us repeatedly over the line between rational explanation and inexplicable fear. It asks us to consider what might be lurking in the shadows and questions what is real and what is simply a trick of the mind - and whether there's really a difference between the two.

©2020 Will Maclean (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A delight for both the expert and the uninitiated, this creepy tale is a carapace of cosy nostalgia wrapped round a solid thread of dread.... A page turner that keeps you in dreaded suspense of what you are about to be shown.... A claustrophobic and entertaining read that left me breathless.... Horror for the connoisseur." (Alice Lowe)

Nods to Shirley Jackson and MR James!

Yes, it took awhile to get used to the narration, but if it’s too slow for you just speed it up - kind of a no brainer.

I loved the story and it really spooked me in parts. It is definitely atmospheric and slow building, so if you don’t like that sort of thing you may want to pass.

I adored the nods to Shirley Jackson and M.R. James and the setting of the English countryside in the 70s really made me think of the fantastic British supernatural tales of that era. In one part, the characters were watching one of the Christmas Specials on the Beeb!

It was recommended by someone in my Facebook M.R.James group and I’m really glad I listened.

Deeply melancholy 'ghost' story

I loved this book -- my only complaint is that I felt it ended too abruptly or quickly -- I DEFINITELY would have liked to have spent more time in the world Maclean created and certainly more time in the aftermath of the events of the 1970s, without spoiling too much. A definite must-listen for literary ghost horror fans. Honestly he could have doubled the length of the book and I'd have been happy

unique story

Good characterizations! interesting, well told story. Not scary for me, but immersive. Think the narrator sounded wooden or a bit robotic, might have been scarier with a more skilled reader.

What happened?

The story had such a great start, in fact, I found the whole story really compelling until…suddenly it was over and I had no idea what happened. Nothing seemed to have anything to do with anything else and I have no idea what the point was. I’m disappointed because I really was enjoying it until I realized i was almost finished and nothing had happened, no wrapping up of any plot points. It hurts me to give a negative review, but don’t waste your time. Well written, great atmosphere but in the end… nothing.

Voice of most characters makes listening difficult

A massive, intricate, chilling story. Very well written; I couldn't stop listening; I wished I bought the book so I could read it myself.
The voice of the main character, Tim, was fine. Very difficult to listen to the screeching sounds of the other characters' voices!

Great listen!

Loved this audiobook! It kept me intrigued, and continuously, excited to listen again. A great, old-fashioned ghost story with lots of twists that was really entertaining. 

Great spooky story

The best spooky read! Every year around October I switch up my reading to spooky books. This is the best one yet that actually implanted fear into me. Not terribly horrifying but good solid spooky.